Where: SCALE-UP classroom, basement (lower level) of O'Kelly Hall (Room 61) on the UND campus. The public and meida are encouraged to enter throughthe new lobby space on the south side of the building A visitor parking lot is located a block south of O'Kelly Hall, right across the street from the UND Steam Plant.

Background:

The SCALE UP classroom at O'Kelly Hall is an innovative, state-of-the-art teaching space, or "learning environment." This new classroom, outfitted with computers, multiple video screens, etc., is intended to help change the way UND instructors teach large lecture-style classes, such as biology 111 and 150. SCALE-UP stands for Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs. The public is welcome to attend this special ribbon-cutting event.

UND's new SCALE-UP classroom is being used by several biology faculty members this semester. They are the pathfinders for this new system. They will assist faculty in other departments, from History to Physics & Astrophysics, adapt to the SCALE-UP instructional model.

Instead of teaching through lecture, this approach encourages students to learn the information on their own and bring what they've learned to the classroom for hands-on activities and discussion with fellow students. Instead of sitting in rows of seats, students sit at round tables -- nine to a table -- the tables each have microphones and three computers, three students to a computer. The classroom also is equipped with several large flat-screen displays.

A decade of research, starting at North Carolina State University, where SCALE-UP was developed, indicates significant improvements in learning. Today, more than 150 colleges across the United States and around the world have adopted the SCALE-UP model.